Finance

Australian deserve a financial system that works for them, especially as the cost of living rises.

Successive Liberal and Labor governments have allowed public money to be funnelled into the hands of private interests. This has happened due to over-reliance on expensive consulting firms, weak regulation and corporate tax loopholes.

Unlike Labor and the Liberals, the Greens are committed to breaking this cycle of corporate influence. 

We can ensure transparency, fairness, and accountability by reforming how public funds are managed and spent. That means addressing conflicts of interest, ending the influence of political donations, and restoring trust in how taxpayer money is used.

Our plan will ensure that the government acts in the community's interests—that every dollar of public money is spent on making life better for everyone, from delivering essential services to tackling the cost-of-living crisis head-on.

Explore our Plan

Regulating and reforming the consulting sector

The Big Four consulting firms—PwC, KPMG, EY, and Deloitte—have an outsized influence on Australia's economy and government.

Labor and the Liberals have allowed this dominance to grow unchecked, giving these firms lucrative contracts while failing to address their conflicts of interest and lack of transparency.

The Greens are committed to ending this cosy relationship between major parties and big consulting firms.

The Greens' plan:

  •  Cap accounting firm partnerships at 100 members to break up monopolistic practices and foster greater competition and transparency in the industry.
  • Require consulting firms to provide either audit or non-audit services to clients, eliminating conflicts of interest and ensuring higher audit quality and public trust.
  • Establish an independent consulting regulator to enforce ethical standards, maintain a professional register, and impose penalties for misconduct, strengthening oversight and accountability in the sector.
A larger Parliamentary Budget Office

The Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) is essential to supporting the work of our elected representatives. 

It is currently underfunded, and needs to be appropriately resourced to provide independent budget analysis for MPs not part of the government. 

Neither Labor nor the Liberals have acted on recommendations to increase the PBO’s funding. The Greens will.

The Greens' plan:

  • Enhance operational capacity by providing $1.1 million per year in ongoing funding, addressing constraints highlighted by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit.
  • Ensure fiscal independence with a $6 million special account, doubling the amount recommended in the 2024-25 JCPAA statement on the PBO’s funding.
  • Expand costing capabilities by tripling the size of the PBO, enabling a broader and more robust analysis on an ongoing basis.
  • Strengthen economic forecasting by empowering the PBO to independently prepare macroeconomic forecasts and analyses.

 

More information on this policy initiative will be released soon.